500 teachers in Dallas take buyouts, more planned

Dallas teachers, many of whom are veterans in their field, lined up by the hundreds to take a buyout that Dallas Independent School District offered starting last weekend.

According to the Dallas Morning News, 500 teachers showed up late Friday through Saturday morning at a buyout drive, all accepting the school district’s offer of up to $10,000 to resign at the end of the school year.

The district is offering the incentive to offset the number of people who would need to be laid off as it prepares to possibly lose up to $253 million in state funding in a “worst-case” scenario. Once the district hits a $7 million cap, the incentive ends, the News reported.

The buyouts, district officials say, could be cheaper for the district than laying off employees, who could file grievances and receive unemployment benefits.

Dallas ISD employees taking the resignation incentive would receive 15 percent of their base salary, not to exceed $10,000, and they must agree to work until the end of the school year. Employees on probation are excluded.

According to Dallas-Fort Worth TV station WFAA, another drive for another round of buyouts is already in the works. Here is some video that shows the scene.

Nothing like this has reared its head at San Antonio schools yet, but illustrates another way districts are trying to reach expected budget cuts next year.